Hey, everyone! If you’ve been keeping up with E3 this year, then you know there’s a lot to be excited about. Nintendo announced several upcoming titles, including the Switch remake of Link’s Awakening (September 20, 2019), Cadence of Hyrule (available this week!), Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019), Pokemon Sword and Shield (November 15, 2019), and Animal Crossing: New Horizons (March 20, 2020). Of course, the last thing Nintendo gifted us with was a tantalizing albeit ambiguous trailer of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Even though it clocks in at a little more than 1 minute, the trailer had a looooooot going on. A. Lot. I had to go back and view it several times to not only piece things together but also analyze some elements within. If you pay super close attention, you’ll pick up on some crucial details that might hint toward what we could expect to see in the future.

I know everyone out there is dissecting this trailer with their own unique thoughts. Here are mine!

Cue the Music

If the visuals won’t creep you out, the music definitely will. It’s tough for me at the moment to peg the atonal, unsettling track. Like many other fans have pointed out already, it sounds as if the music is reversed. I’ve listened to the reversed version, but I still can’t pick out a certain Zelda theme here (can you?). Here’s what I can pick out and analyze, though:

Ganondorf’s Organ: As the video progresses and the music picks up in intensity, you can hear a menacing organ emerge with what sounds like the opening notes to Ganondorf’s theme as soon as we see the contorted mummy. The organ has been tied to Ganondorf throughout the Zelda franchise, which hints that this mummy is the King of Evil (more thoughts on that later!).

Guardian Piano: Sooooo, the creepy mummy wasn’t the only thing that had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Did you guys hear those piano notes when the mummy came into view? Maybe it isn’t a piano, I could be wrong – but I realized why I felt so freaked out all of a sudden. The staccato plucks sounded just like the eerie notes that play when a Stalker Guardian spots you and begins to fry your hide to a crisp. I’m not sure if this lends itself to anything except atmospheric purposes and for reminding the audience that we’re still in the world of Breath of the Wild. We shall see!

Either that’s a certain villain we all know and loathe or it’s a land-based Poseidon poised for attack.

Foreshadowing Wall Painting

Remember all the times we had to relive the History of Calamity Ganon again… and again.. and again in BOTW? I sure do. As the story was recounted, we would see ancient paintings resembling the Hero, the Princess, Ganon, and a crap-ton of Guardians. In the trailer to the new game, you can faintly make out a new type of painting, which Princess Zelda’s torch briefly illuminates. Look closely, and you will see what looks like a man holding a trident and riding a horse into war – all painted in red. To me, the design, inclusion of the trident, and the chosen color all foreshadow the emergence of Ganondorf.

Those Blue-Green Spirals

Perhaps what’s puzzling me the most are the tendrils of blue-green light we see throughout the video. They spiral like a verdant tornado into the heavens and pool from the mummy at the bottom of Hyrule Castle. Speculations of the Twilight Realm from Twilight Princess are being thrown around (and understandably so); however, when I first saw it, I thought of the Champions, Divine Beasts, and Sheikah in BoTW. Blue (or even greenish light) often represented life force in BoTW, so I simply thought the spirals were a reflection from that series. However, it’s peculiar – at one point in the trailer, we can see a blue-green hand grabbing Link’s wrist and also what appears to be Link attempting to control the situation through the hand? I’m not sure – it’s tough to tell at the moment, but perhaps this might hint at a new ability or mechanic for the player.

I wouldn’t touch that if I were you…

That Mummy is Totally Ganondorf (Probably)

Calling it now, this mummy is Ganondorf. If the music and wall painting didn’t clue you into it, consider these points:

Hair: Gurl, look at those long, long locks of hair. Aren’t they fabulous? They look quite similar to the hair we see Ganondorf rocking in Twilight Princess (and Hyrule Warriors!).

Gerudo markings: Did you see the bling on that mummy? You know, before it turned its head and leered at you with scarlet red eyes of death. *shudders* The medallion dangling from the decaying corpse had telltale Gerudo markings, insinuating that our mummy pal is the King of Evil.

That headpiece: If you were too distracted by the elegant medallion swinging back and forth, you might have missed the headpiece. Check it out – it’s something the Gerudo tend to wear. Alsoooooooo, that jewel in the middle of the headpiece looks very eye-like. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting flashbacks to when Link sealed Calamity Ganon’s fate by shooting him in the eye on top of his head…

Hand placement: Let’s go back to the creepy blue-green hand. Notice where it’s touching the mummy? The chest. How did Ganondorf die in Twilight Princess? He was impaled – in. the. CHEST!

So yeah. I really, REALLY think this dude’s Ganondorf. If I’m wrong, I will be really let down (and confused!).

Zelda with short hair: very much kawaii ^_^

A Brief Ocarina of Time Flashback

It’s such a minor nod, but I had to mention it anyway. Near the end of the trailer, an adorable Zelda (with shorter hair!!!!) whirls toward the camera in shocking discovery. The next scene shows the lifeless corpse, which then glares at (presumably) Zelda menacingly. Remind you of something? Think back to Ocarina of Time when young Princess Zelda is pointing out Ganondorf to Link through the castle window. After we see Zelda’s face looking in at the King of Evil, the next scene is Ganondorf genuflecting … and then fixing his wicked eyes on the princess! It might not mean anything, but I thought it was sort of cool. 🙂

“Later days, losers!” -Hyrule Castle

Is This Hyrule Castle or a Rocket Ship?

As many fans have noticed, Hyrule Castle ascends upward at the end of the trailer. This, to me, shows that perhaps this game will take place elsewhere rather than the land of Hyrule that we all explored in BoTW. The question is – where? Skyloft? Heaven? Space? Who knows? But I would expect to see a change of scenery this time around, that’s for sure.

What did that sweet little mouse ever do to you?!

Also, can we please have a moment of silence for that adorable mouse who unfortunately got caught up in the malice? 😦

So what are your thoughts on the trailer? Do you have any fun theories on anything? Let me know in the comments! 😀

Thanks! Haha 🙂 And I know exactly what you mean about feeling rushed, between work duties, home duties, and then just the excitement of a brand new Zelda crashing down on top of all of it! lol But no, yours was most excellent!